The weightier matters of the counsel of God.
Things that are never considered, or if by chance they are, are quickly dismissed and relegated to the dark recesses of the heart where they become shut up in the futile effort to hide them from man and God.
Write a check under some false assumption of absolution.
Light a candle.
Shoot up a blurb which one loosely considers a prayer.
Target some obscure religious icon to invoke protection from.
Consider God only as the very last resort as the weight of daily living threatens to squeeze out every drop of life.
Finally appeal to God as the snow globe bursts, and then quickly abandon Him when the provision is secured.
Gather in His house because of religious obligation.
Gather in His house when there is nothing else going on.
I hope God has an insulated heart.
I hope He is not like me.
I wonder if He has to battle the negative feelings that arise when He sees His Church neglected?
Jesus was so incensed at the mishandling of God's house that He picked up a whip and went to town on some religious heinies.
He went to visit a temple and instead He found a flea market.
Matt. 23:23: "For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others."
Things we ought to do.
Things we neglect.
Soothing our guilt by doing one thing and using it as an excuse to not do another.
Casual Christianity.
The enemy advances inch by inch.
Rarely are there sweeping decisive victories by the enemy over the Christian.
More like small, incremental and subtle wins which add up.
The Kingdom of God becomes smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror.
"Lost" is not just a TV drama.
Casual sounds way too close to casualty for me.
My heart breaks when I see poor choices being made.
The road to heaven is paved with the bleached bones of those who dropped out of the race.
Matthew 7:13: - "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many."
Always remember this very simple and direct teaching by Jesus.
Never take the easy way out when it comes to spiritual matters.
It will kill your soul.
But you will have lots of company.
Casual leads to casualty.
Enter the heartbreak.
*sigh*
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin <><
Visit my blog at: http://keepinitrealpastorkevin.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
"Dream A Little Dream..."
Dreams are biblical.
In fact it may be one of the most common topics in all of scripture.
Dreams are different than hopes, but may intersect often.
My dreams tend to be while I am awake and perhaps more in the form of visions.
They are almost always spiritual, most always concern the church and people, and hardly ever concern myself or my own personal life.
My dreams are a longing to see the desires of Christ fulfilled in His Church.
I dream of the day when the Kingdom work is supported so fully that the Church makes a difference in the community it serves.
I dream of the day when the Church overflows with lives so changed that four walls will not contain them.
I dream of the day when men will man up in Christ and take their proper place in the plan of God and stop passing off that responsibility to their wives.
I dream of the day when people will gather around the study of the Word of God in great numbers not just when it is convenient for themselves, but because they recognize how vital and necessary it is to their spiritual health.
I dream of the day when people stop talking about being #2 to Jesus and actually step down and relinquish that spot to Him.
I dream of the day when people realize how badly they are missed when they routinely disregard church for other activities.
Why the opening of the heart today?
It's biblical. Even though it rubs against the grain for me, it's biblical. I MUST share.
Jeremiah 23:28 (Amplified Bible) - "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell his dream; but he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully."
It's a package. It's a responsibility. It's a burden.
I speak His word.
I fail to tell the dream.
I'm always afraid I'll hurt someone.
God tells me to let Him worry about that.
After all, I am starting to qualify for "...your old men shall dream dreams." (Joel, Acts)
Well oldER men anyway. lol!
The joy is in Him and I long to see that manifest for everyone.
Hey, I can dream, can't I?
Run it all past Jesus first.
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin <><
Visit my blog at: http://keepinitrealpastorkevin.blogspot.com/
In fact it may be one of the most common topics in all of scripture.
Dreams are different than hopes, but may intersect often.
My dreams tend to be while I am awake and perhaps more in the form of visions.
They are almost always spiritual, most always concern the church and people, and hardly ever concern myself or my own personal life.
My dreams are a longing to see the desires of Christ fulfilled in His Church.
I dream of the day when the Kingdom work is supported so fully that the Church makes a difference in the community it serves.
I dream of the day when the Church overflows with lives so changed that four walls will not contain them.
I dream of the day when men will man up in Christ and take their proper place in the plan of God and stop passing off that responsibility to their wives.
I dream of the day when people will gather around the study of the Word of God in great numbers not just when it is convenient for themselves, but because they recognize how vital and necessary it is to their spiritual health.
I dream of the day when people stop talking about being #2 to Jesus and actually step down and relinquish that spot to Him.
I dream of the day when people realize how badly they are missed when they routinely disregard church for other activities.
Why the opening of the heart today?
It's biblical. Even though it rubs against the grain for me, it's biblical. I MUST share.
Jeremiah 23:28 (Amplified Bible) - "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell his dream; but he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully."
It's a package. It's a responsibility. It's a burden.
I speak His word.
I fail to tell the dream.
I'm always afraid I'll hurt someone.
God tells me to let Him worry about that.
After all, I am starting to qualify for "...your old men shall dream dreams." (Joel, Acts)
Well oldER men anyway. lol!
The joy is in Him and I long to see that manifest for everyone.
Hey, I can dream, can't I?
Run it all past Jesus first.
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin <><
Visit my blog at: http://keepinitrealpastorkevin.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
"Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Saints?"
"Who dat"?
I borrowed the chant from the fans of the New Orleans Saints football team.
New Orleans of course being the "home" of "When The Saints Go Marchin' In".
Who are the "saints"? Really.
Plaster statues arranged in ornate cathedrals?
Plastic figures on your parents dashboard?
Nominated and processed dead people by particular religious organizations?
None of the above?
Correctomundo if you picked "none of the above".
The bible says that believers in Jesus Christ are the saints.
We don't have to be nominated for it.
We just are.
We are objects of the intentions of Jesus Christ.
Eph. 4:12: - "His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints
(His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of
ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church)".
Inanimate objects can't accomplis this.
Dead people (spiritual as well as physical) can't accomplish this.
Disciples of Jesus Christ are consecrated people who's work it is to
build up and encourage each other in the faith.
One of the problems in the Body of Christ today is that people are
resistant to being perfected and equipped.
Too often the "saint" in Christ doesn't want to stop being ministered
to and begin ministering to others.
The Church is designed to operate on take and give, not take and more take.
Sometimes it seems like the Church crawls along rather than briskly
walking. Stoop shouldered rather than shoulders back. Defeated rather
than victorious.
Recognizing who we are in Christ and a willingness to acquiesce to it
would transform the work of Christ on earth.
Who dat?
You're a saint. Be a saint. Perform like a saint.
Who'da saint? You da saint!
In all you do today be blessed and a blessing to others!
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin
I borrowed the chant from the fans of the New Orleans Saints football team.
New Orleans of course being the "home" of "When The Saints Go Marchin' In".
Who are the "saints"? Really.
Plaster statues arranged in ornate cathedrals?
Plastic figures on your parents dashboard?
Nominated and processed dead people by particular religious organizations?
None of the above?
Correctomundo if you picked "none of the above".
The bible says that believers in Jesus Christ are the saints.
We don't have to be nominated for it.
We just are.
We are objects of the intentions of Jesus Christ.
Eph. 4:12: - "His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints
(His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of
ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church)".
Inanimate objects can't accomplis this.
Dead people (spiritual as well as physical) can't accomplish this.
Disciples of Jesus Christ are consecrated people who's work it is to
build up and encourage each other in the faith.
One of the problems in the Body of Christ today is that people are
resistant to being perfected and equipped.
Too often the "saint" in Christ doesn't want to stop being ministered
to and begin ministering to others.
The Church is designed to operate on take and give, not take and more take.
Sometimes it seems like the Church crawls along rather than briskly
walking. Stoop shouldered rather than shoulders back. Defeated rather
than victorious.
Recognizing who we are in Christ and a willingness to acquiesce to it
would transform the work of Christ on earth.
Who dat?
You're a saint. Be a saint. Perform like a saint.
Who'da saint? You da saint!
In all you do today be blessed and a blessing to others!
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
"The Best Laid Plans..."
The great poet Robert Burns once wrote in his ode "To A Mouse", "The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew."
Ain't that the truth.
Our news media counts on it.
If not for the gleeful daily reporting of the dismal failures of the human race, there would be no ratings and we would be doomed to a steady diet of infomercials and reality shows.
A modern day lyricist, Billy Corgan, says, "Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage."
Michael Jackson needed sleep so his doctor put him to sleep permanently. It was a plan that failed.
Jasmine Fiore thinks she finds her perfect man in Ryan Jenkins. He kills her, commits heinous acts to cover up the murder, and is foiled by serial numbers found on her breast implants. He flees to Canada and commits suicide. Several plans that looked good failed miserably.
A mouse builds its home in the middle of a plows path. The plow passes over and destroys the nest.
Robert Burns sees it as a parallel to life in general.
We may do things that look good at the moment, but suffer the pain and humiliation of dismal failure no matter how good they seemed at the time.
"The BEST laid plans of mice AND men...".
It's not exactly an original thought.
God said it a really long time ago.
"There is a way that seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death." (Proverbs 16:25)
"Seemed like a good idea at the time." What a sweet touch of Americana that one is.
My longstanding challenge to my congregation is still in effect.
I have been saying for years that there is not one single sin that man commits that is not rooted in selfishness. I occasionally resurrect the challenge to prove that statement wrong.
I probably wasn't entirely sure that I believed that myself when I said it.
I'm entirely sure today.
Our best laid plans done apart from the counsel of God is at best a selfish rebelliousness that is doomed to fail from the earliest conceptual stages.
What can I add to that except .........*sigh*.
...and some good biblical exhortation...
Hosea 10:12 (Amplified Bible) - "Sow for yourselves according to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); reap according to mercy and loving-kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord... ."
I pray today that we would always seek to do the right thing and continually receive the loving mercy of Christ, and that we would break up the uncultivated, fallow ground of our hearts and make it a rich soil for the planting of God's perfect plan for us.
Be blessed today and run everything past Jesus first!
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin
Ain't that the truth.
Our news media counts on it.
If not for the gleeful daily reporting of the dismal failures of the human race, there would be no ratings and we would be doomed to a steady diet of infomercials and reality shows.
A modern day lyricist, Billy Corgan, says, "Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage."
Michael Jackson needed sleep so his doctor put him to sleep permanently. It was a plan that failed.
Jasmine Fiore thinks she finds her perfect man in Ryan Jenkins. He kills her, commits heinous acts to cover up the murder, and is foiled by serial numbers found on her breast implants. He flees to Canada and commits suicide. Several plans that looked good failed miserably.
A mouse builds its home in the middle of a plows path. The plow passes over and destroys the nest.
Robert Burns sees it as a parallel to life in general.
We may do things that look good at the moment, but suffer the pain and humiliation of dismal failure no matter how good they seemed at the time.
"The BEST laid plans of mice AND men...".
It's not exactly an original thought.
God said it a really long time ago.
"There is a way that seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death." (Proverbs 16:25)
"Seemed like a good idea at the time." What a sweet touch of Americana that one is.
My longstanding challenge to my congregation is still in effect.
I have been saying for years that there is not one single sin that man commits that is not rooted in selfishness. I occasionally resurrect the challenge to prove that statement wrong.
I probably wasn't entirely sure that I believed that myself when I said it.
I'm entirely sure today.
Our best laid plans done apart from the counsel of God is at best a selfish rebelliousness that is doomed to fail from the earliest conceptual stages.
What can I add to that except .........*sigh*.
...and some good biblical exhortation...
Hosea 10:12 (Amplified Bible) - "Sow for yourselves according to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); reap according to mercy and loving-kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord... ."
I pray today that we would always seek to do the right thing and continually receive the loving mercy of Christ, and that we would break up the uncultivated, fallow ground of our hearts and make it a rich soil for the planting of God's perfect plan for us.
Be blessed today and run everything past Jesus first!
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin
Monday, July 25, 2011
"The Death Of George Bailey"
This just in:
(RP) "Beloved Hollywood movie character George Bailey was discovered to have died recently. No time or place of death was reported, other than that it appears to have coincided with the recent colossal failure of the American banking, insurance, and savings and loan system. Since there was no actual body found, it is assumed that Bailey simply dissolved along with the rest of the hopes, ideals, and dreams of the once great nation he loved so dearly. Bailey was known for being the iconic role played in the classic Christmas film, "It's A Wonderful Life", by the beloved late American actor, James Stewart. Known for not being a failure his entire life simply because he had friends, there was no one else to contact for a statement other than a "Mr. Potter", who while being old and very sick, issued the statement: "Bailey was always a fool, and remained a fool until he died. His biggest problem was that he trusted people. In the end it was the people and system that failed him."
Lord, Lord, they cut George Bailey down.
Lord, Lord they laid him in the ground. (Adapted from the song "George Jackson, by Bob Dylan)
"No man is a failure as long as he has friends".
Ah, I'm going to miss that guy.
George Bailey. American icon.
The standard of decency created during a time of recovery for America.
Post WW II America. The great payoff for five years of sacrificial living.
America had taken it on the chin, even on the heels of a crushing and debilitating Great Depression, it bounced back and weathered the storm of war and loss.
America survived, and we have people like George Bailey to thank.
Oh sure, Bailey was a fictional character, but we all knew a George Bailey in real life.
People of unswerving optimism. Folks that said "we can do it!", and were the first ones to lead the way.
It's just not the same anymore. Mom, the flag, and apple pie just doesn't cut it anymore.
No friends, I'm afraid George Bailey is dead.
And there ain't no resurrection forthcoming.
This doesn't bother me so much.
Maybe it's time for Bailey to die.
There really wasn't much he could do for us except encourage us anyway.
But he did remind me of another.
Is it accidental that his film has become the most beloved Christmas movie of all time?
George Bailey pointed us toward Jesus.
And now he has stepped out of the way. George Bailey cannot save us anymore.
Like and Old Testament prophet he never really could.
Thanks anyway George Bailey, for all you have done for the American Dream.
It's time for us to move out of Dreamland now, and step into a much darker, much more insidious and uninviting place called reality.
We need a real Savior.
Fantasy Hollywood land used to be a comforting place we could get lost in, but alas, even it has gotten darker and seedier and threatening.
We really need a place to turn.
Enter stage right.
Hebrews 13:5 - "...I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]
Thank you Jesus. We need you more than ever. Our country. Our world. It's all being torn apart.
We are a dying junkie in need of an intervention. We are sick and don't realize it.
Help us who see where our hope lies. Help us to help others to have hope.
Help. Hope.
This is an S.O.S. Lord.
My prayer this morning is that we will not fall into despair. In the face of mounting failure by our leaders, in the face of people losing hope in their country, in themselves, and maybe even in You Lord, we need a miracle of hope. We need help. Your help. It's a storm that cannot, will not, be weathered without You. We seek Your face today Lord, and we hold to Your promise of healing our nation.
With God all things are possible. Jesus is our Blessed Hope today!
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin <><
(RP) "Beloved Hollywood movie character George Bailey was discovered to have died recently. No time or place of death was reported, other than that it appears to have coincided with the recent colossal failure of the American banking, insurance, and savings and loan system. Since there was no actual body found, it is assumed that Bailey simply dissolved along with the rest of the hopes, ideals, and dreams of the once great nation he loved so dearly. Bailey was known for being the iconic role played in the classic Christmas film, "It's A Wonderful Life", by the beloved late American actor, James Stewart. Known for not being a failure his entire life simply because he had friends, there was no one else to contact for a statement other than a "Mr. Potter", who while being old and very sick, issued the statement: "Bailey was always a fool, and remained a fool until he died. His biggest problem was that he trusted people. In the end it was the people and system that failed him."
Lord, Lord, they cut George Bailey down.
Lord, Lord they laid him in the ground. (Adapted from the song "George Jackson, by Bob Dylan)
"No man is a failure as long as he has friends".
Ah, I'm going to miss that guy.
George Bailey. American icon.
The standard of decency created during a time of recovery for America.
Post WW II America. The great payoff for five years of sacrificial living.
America had taken it on the chin, even on the heels of a crushing and debilitating Great Depression, it bounced back and weathered the storm of war and loss.
America survived, and we have people like George Bailey to thank.
Oh sure, Bailey was a fictional character, but we all knew a George Bailey in real life.
People of unswerving optimism. Folks that said "we can do it!", and were the first ones to lead the way.
It's just not the same anymore. Mom, the flag, and apple pie just doesn't cut it anymore.
No friends, I'm afraid George Bailey is dead.
And there ain't no resurrection forthcoming.
This doesn't bother me so much.
Maybe it's time for Bailey to die.
There really wasn't much he could do for us except encourage us anyway.
But he did remind me of another.
Is it accidental that his film has become the most beloved Christmas movie of all time?
George Bailey pointed us toward Jesus.
And now he has stepped out of the way. George Bailey cannot save us anymore.
Like and Old Testament prophet he never really could.
Thanks anyway George Bailey, for all you have done for the American Dream.
It's time for us to move out of Dreamland now, and step into a much darker, much more insidious and uninviting place called reality.
We need a real Savior.
Fantasy Hollywood land used to be a comforting place we could get lost in, but alas, even it has gotten darker and seedier and threatening.
We really need a place to turn.
Enter stage right.
Hebrews 13:5 - "...I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]
Thank you Jesus. We need you more than ever. Our country. Our world. It's all being torn apart.
We are a dying junkie in need of an intervention. We are sick and don't realize it.
Help us who see where our hope lies. Help us to help others to have hope.
Help. Hope.
This is an S.O.S. Lord.
My prayer this morning is that we will not fall into despair. In the face of mounting failure by our leaders, in the face of people losing hope in their country, in themselves, and maybe even in You Lord, we need a miracle of hope. We need help. Your help. It's a storm that cannot, will not, be weathered without You. We seek Your face today Lord, and we hold to Your promise of healing our nation.
With God all things are possible. Jesus is our Blessed Hope today!
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin <><
Friday, July 22, 2011
"Where Is My Mind?"
With your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse if there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Way out in the water, see it swimming
~ The Pixies ~
A popular joke from the nineteenth century says:
"What’s the matter? Never mind. What is mind? No matter."
I pretty much never really concerned myself with my mind. It was "no matter".
For at least the first 33 years anyway.
In my post conversion experience I suddenly became aware of it.
Sometimes we don't know that things were wrong until we look back on them.
I suppose that could be deemed a blessing of sorts.
I never realized just how dysfunctional I was.
My mind was riddled with rampant narcissism, sleeplessness, anxiety, fear.
I was in trauma. I was very fortunate that Jesus came along.
Where was my mind?
It was in the clutches of what was normal for me.
Normal was just being a living being without Jesus.
We don't see it while we are in it.
This is why there is such a great gulf, or gap, between believers and non-believers.
We never know what we really are until we are exposed. We never knew we were living in darkness until the Light shined.
Paul says we were exchanging truth for lies. We were fools professing wisdom. Worshiping the creature and not he Creator. Exchanging the natural for the unnatural.
It was a great exchange, and we got shortchanged.
Romans 1:21-22 - "(21) Because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened. (22) Claiming to be wise, they became fools [professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves]."
I had lost my mind.
I found it in Christ.
What's scary to me is how many believers are willing to go back there again.
At the root of most Christians who are in turmoil in their lives is this insidious desire to get caught up with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations.
The willingness to enter into flat out sinful relationships for instance is staggering.
It's an exchange of carnal desire for the will of God.
It won't work. It will cause anxiety. Physical problems. Unsettledness.
When our desire is not in line with God's will it will throw everything out of synch.
You will be asking...
Where is my mind?
You were once smart, but now you have made a complete simpleton out of yourself.
Yes, it was that easy.
You made a simple exchange.
You did what you wanted to do even though you knew it would offend God.
You cannot even feign ignorance.
You knew. You know.
Where is your mind?
My prayer is for those who are struggling in life today. You have lost your way. You may even think you are losing your mind. You made an exchange that left you on the short end, and now it's all just a jumbled mess. You can make it right. Go back to the source. Regain the ground you have lost. Let me give you this today. Jesus says: "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).
I hope today is the most blessed day of your life!
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin <><
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse if there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Way out in the water, see it swimming
~ The Pixies ~
A popular joke from the nineteenth century says:
"What’s the matter? Never mind. What is mind? No matter."
I pretty much never really concerned myself with my mind. It was "no matter".
For at least the first 33 years anyway.
In my post conversion experience I suddenly became aware of it.
Sometimes we don't know that things were wrong until we look back on them.
I suppose that could be deemed a blessing of sorts.
I never realized just how dysfunctional I was.
My mind was riddled with rampant narcissism, sleeplessness, anxiety, fear.
I was in trauma. I was very fortunate that Jesus came along.
Where was my mind?
It was in the clutches of what was normal for me.
Normal was just being a living being without Jesus.
We don't see it while we are in it.
This is why there is such a great gulf, or gap, between believers and non-believers.
We never know what we really are until we are exposed. We never knew we were living in darkness until the Light shined.
Paul says we were exchanging truth for lies. We were fools professing wisdom. Worshiping the creature and not he Creator. Exchanging the natural for the unnatural.
It was a great exchange, and we got shortchanged.
Romans 1:21-22 - "(21) Because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened. (22) Claiming to be wise, they became fools [professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves]."
I had lost my mind.
I found it in Christ.
What's scary to me is how many believers are willing to go back there again.
At the root of most Christians who are in turmoil in their lives is this insidious desire to get caught up with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations.
The willingness to enter into flat out sinful relationships for instance is staggering.
It's an exchange of carnal desire for the will of God.
It won't work. It will cause anxiety. Physical problems. Unsettledness.
When our desire is not in line with God's will it will throw everything out of synch.
You will be asking...
Where is my mind?
You were once smart, but now you have made a complete simpleton out of yourself.
Yes, it was that easy.
You made a simple exchange.
You did what you wanted to do even though you knew it would offend God.
You cannot even feign ignorance.
You knew. You know.
Where is your mind?
My prayer is for those who are struggling in life today. You have lost your way. You may even think you are losing your mind. You made an exchange that left you on the short end, and now it's all just a jumbled mess. You can make it right. Go back to the source. Regain the ground you have lost. Let me give you this today. Jesus says: "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).
I hope today is the most blessed day of your life!
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin <><
Thursday, July 21, 2011
"Keep What Ya' Got By Giving It All Away"
That's the title of a song by ex-Stone Roses singer, Ian Brown.
It's also a really good song.
But I particularly like the title.
I'm not sure if Ian Brown knows it or not, but Jesus said the same thing.
People didn't get it when Jesus said it.
They still don't get it today.
Our minds don't seem to naturally bend in that direction.
When Ian Brown sings it we hear it. But hey, it's just a rock song. Who cares what it means.
When the Church says it, it riles folks up and makes them secure all their stuff and complain that all the Church wants is their money.
There's a whole neat story in three of the gospels, where Jesus encounters a very, very rich young man, who has a bunch of money, servants, possessions, etc.
The young man initiates the conversation and wants to know how to receive eternal life.
(What do you get the man who has everything?) lol!
Jesus makes the statement: "You know the commandments", and he replied that he had kept them faithfully since he was a boy. (It really wasn't a question, but we rarely listen that intently to God).
The next thing Jesus told him, as recorded in Luke 18, is curious:
"(22) And when Jesus heard it, He said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell everything that you have and divide [the money] among the poor, and you will have [rich] treasure in heaven; and come back [and] follow Me [become My disciple, join My party, and accompany Me]."
In the flesh it's a losing proposition. In the Spirit it's a win.
The young man's response?
"(23) But when he heard this, he became distressed and very sorrowful, for he was rich--exceedingly so."
He saw it totally in the flesh.
Now, there's a lot of speculation about this passage.
It causes some to get their shorts all bunched up.
I don't get caught up in all of that stuff.
I see this confrontation at a point in history as biblically and spiritually significant, and not dumbed down into dollars and cents.
Jesus was really saying that the young fellow needed to put to good use the fortune he had and that he would gain by that. Not lose.
He was sort of saying, "Keep what ya' got by giving it all away."
You'll never lose or become less for following Jesus. Things may change. But you won't lose.
If you understand that like I do this morning, then you are in a very select minority.
We should establish a society or something.
Remedially it can be explained as "paradoxical".
Jesus is a paradox, so it stands to reason that He will teach paradoxically.
Jesus is not interested in subtraction and division, but addition and multiplication.
He wants us to add and multiply as well.
We see giving away as subtraction because we don't understand the principles of Jesus.
He sees giving away as a means of us becoming more. Addition. Multiplication.
We are so afraid to trust Jesus. We are afraid to give it away because we think we will be left as beggars.
Never be afraid to give it all away. Your wealth is not contained in your material.
Your wealth is in Jesus, and He will increase your life and make you rich in areas that you never dreamed.
My prayer today is that there would be unparalleled trust in Jesus Christ with all that you have and all that you are. There is freedom in release. It takes an incredible leap of faith to get to where you can trust Jesus with everything. And I mean everything. Yourself, your family, your finances, your possessions, your home. Could you place it in His hands today? Or will you walk away dejected like the Rich Young Man did? These are the watershed moments of our lives. These are the moments that shape not only who we are, but who we will be.
Be blessed in all you do today!
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin <><
It's also a really good song.
But I particularly like the title.
I'm not sure if Ian Brown knows it or not, but Jesus said the same thing.
People didn't get it when Jesus said it.
They still don't get it today.
Our minds don't seem to naturally bend in that direction.
When Ian Brown sings it we hear it. But hey, it's just a rock song. Who cares what it means.
When the Church says it, it riles folks up and makes them secure all their stuff and complain that all the Church wants is their money.
There's a whole neat story in three of the gospels, where Jesus encounters a very, very rich young man, who has a bunch of money, servants, possessions, etc.
The young man initiates the conversation and wants to know how to receive eternal life.
(What do you get the man who has everything?) lol!
Jesus makes the statement: "You know the commandments", and he replied that he had kept them faithfully since he was a boy. (It really wasn't a question, but we rarely listen that intently to God).
The next thing Jesus told him, as recorded in Luke 18, is curious:
"(22) And when Jesus heard it, He said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell everything that you have and divide [the money] among the poor, and you will have [rich] treasure in heaven; and come back [and] follow Me [become My disciple, join My party, and accompany Me]."
In the flesh it's a losing proposition. In the Spirit it's a win.
The young man's response?
"(23) But when he heard this, he became distressed and very sorrowful, for he was rich--exceedingly so."
He saw it totally in the flesh.
Now, there's a lot of speculation about this passage.
It causes some to get their shorts all bunched up.
I don't get caught up in all of that stuff.
I see this confrontation at a point in history as biblically and spiritually significant, and not dumbed down into dollars and cents.
Jesus was really saying that the young fellow needed to put to good use the fortune he had and that he would gain by that. Not lose.
He was sort of saying, "Keep what ya' got by giving it all away."
You'll never lose or become less for following Jesus. Things may change. But you won't lose.
If you understand that like I do this morning, then you are in a very select minority.
We should establish a society or something.
Remedially it can be explained as "paradoxical".
Jesus is a paradox, so it stands to reason that He will teach paradoxically.
Jesus is not interested in subtraction and division, but addition and multiplication.
He wants us to add and multiply as well.
We see giving away as subtraction because we don't understand the principles of Jesus.
He sees giving away as a means of us becoming more. Addition. Multiplication.
We are so afraid to trust Jesus. We are afraid to give it away because we think we will be left as beggars.
Never be afraid to give it all away. Your wealth is not contained in your material.
Your wealth is in Jesus, and He will increase your life and make you rich in areas that you never dreamed.
My prayer today is that there would be unparalleled trust in Jesus Christ with all that you have and all that you are. There is freedom in release. It takes an incredible leap of faith to get to where you can trust Jesus with everything. And I mean everything. Yourself, your family, your finances, your possessions, your home. Could you place it in His hands today? Or will you walk away dejected like the Rich Young Man did? These are the watershed moments of our lives. These are the moments that shape not only who we are, but who we will be.
Be blessed in all you do today!
Keepin' it Real,
Pastor Kevin <><
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